Post: #1

In an unrelated post, I wrote a little bit about my experience with ayahuasca and it sparked some interest with people on the forum.

The psychological impact was immense, deeply personal, and not something I would completely share with others.

One of the things I will talk about it how much my relationship with my body has changed since ayahuasca.

During one of the many visions the medicine induced, I could see and feel every molecule in my body. They were abuzz with energy and very sensitive to all influences including all of the food/drink I had ingested (although I had been fasting for 2 days). My bloodstream was carrying all of the essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, etc, found in the food and I could see how important it was to eat only the highest quality foods and stay the fuck away from sugar. Sugar made the molecular vibrations erratic.

At the end of the experience, after all the other visions, revelations, and insights were revealed to me, the major theme and resounding sticking point was this: the only thing any man has complete control over is his own mind, that is the true source of power, so keep your mind strong and disciplined.

Imagine those words spoke to you by God himself, thats how much they resounded to me at the time. Intense.

I participated in the ceremony about a month ago.

Before that I was lifting regularly, eating pretty well, drinking too much, and my body always had a little softness from a layer of fat I could never get rid of.

The month since then, I have been so aware of what goes into my mouth because I can still recall the vision of all the molecules being affected by every single variable.

Bacon and fried eggs, my previously favorite breakfast, almost disgust me now.

Now its a banana, acai, coconut water smoothie topped with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Thats one example, and I'm not going to bore ya'll with every detail of my diet, but it has changed drastically since my time in Peru.

As a result: I lost about 7 pounds, mostly from that layer of fat that was so stubborn. My face has tightened up and girls have commented on how much better I look since my trip. And my lifts have been going up steadily.

The mind/body connection is a powerful one and anyone who is interested in a full on immersion into oneself might want to read up on ayahuasca.

Can't forget to include the great introductory article that runsomagic posted over at Return of Kings recently: http://www.returnofkings.com/28495/the-s...-your-life

Post: #2

Whoa...brah...that's some deep stuff.

Post: #3

Seconded. Provocative post.

Post: #4

Anyone considering going to Peru for this should read "The Dark Side of Ayahuasca" :

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/the-...a-20130215

Quote: Every day, hundreds of tourists arrive in Iquitos, Peru, seeking spiritual catharsis or just to trip their heads off. But increasingly often their trip becomes a nightmare, and some of them don't go home at all.

Post: #5

This sort of shift in diet is really common with Ayahuasca.

Also, Ayahuasca has incredible anti-ageing properties, much moreso than any other herb or plant I have ever tried and you don't even have to take a full "hallucinogenic" brew to experience this. But I suspect in the coming years more and more people will go to Ayahuasca just for what it can do for their body and the healing work it does on the emotional/mental layers of the psyche.

Ayahuasca is mainstreaming pretty hard at the moment and some People I know are predicting what the "next big thing" along these lines will be, and I'd say it will probably be Iboga, a very potent plant medicine from west Africa.

Post: #6

Ive seriously wanted to try ayahuasca. Did you go to peru? If so, can you recommend who you went through, ive been looking and have found 3-4 retreats that specialize in it. One offers 7 days with 5 ceremonies, and the other offers 12 days with 5 ceremonies. I think I would like to do the 12 day, it might be pretty intense fitting five ceremonies in 5 days. Thanks.

Post: #7

That mens journal article is geared towards the morons. And rightly so.

Anyone who have let themselves go, are weak mentally, or deep down do not like themselves should not drink ayahuasca.

I wrote before and will write again...It would be fascinating seeing a typical American girl using ayahuasca: her made-up reality would be fucking shattered, every lie that she lived would come to life, torture her, shake her to her core, she would howl in fear, puke and shit her brains out, and lie there shaking in realized shame until it was over.

The experience is makes you go down deep in your psyche. All the shit will come out...good and bad. You need to be prepared.

Post: #8

(03-10-2014 07:04 PM)White Trash King Wrote:  Ive seriously wanted to try ayahuasca. Did you go to peru? If so, can you recommend who you went through, ive been looking and have found 3-4 retreats that specialize in it. One offers 7 days with 5 ceremonies, and the other offers 12 days with 5 ceremonies. I think I would like to do the 12 day, it might be pretty intense fitting five ceremonies in 5 days. Thanks.

Yeah, the retreat I went to can be tailored to any time stay you want.

A lot of people there were doing other diets, cleanses, treatments, and meditations for long periods of time.

The guy who runs the retreat is an expert botanist from the U.S. who has been running his place for 10 years. He brews the ayahuasca on site, knows his shit in and out, and employs only the most expert shaman and musicians for the ceremonies.

PM me if you want the website/contact info.

It's a 25 minute boat ride from Iquitos.

Post: #9

I first started becoming interested in ayahuasca through London Real. They shared their experience in video format and it's very interesting:

London Real: Ayahuasca - Back From the Dead (2012)




I think Nic said in another video that after doing ayahuasca, he saw that Westerners are bloody crazy. We worry about things about which we needn't worry - which damages us severely.

Post: #10

I had no clue what that stuff was until I listened to Joe Rogan, and Graham Hancock discuss it during The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. I have only used drugs once in my life (someone gave me weed when I was eleven), but the use of ayahuasca really intrigued me.

Post: #11

Found a whole pile of Mescaline cacti not too far from where I live, so one of these nights I'm gonna go chop them down and brew a bunch of tea. Not quite ayahuasca but still fun. Unlucky for the people that miss out on this kind of experience because "drugs are bad"

Post: #12

Quote:Anyone who have let themselves go, are weak mentally, or deep down do not like themselves should not drink ayahuasca.

Interesting. So the ayahuasca experience would not likely help rectify the self-dislike?

Post: #13

I got back 2 weeks ago from a Ayahuasca retreat at The Way Inn near Huaraz, Peru. 9 days, 5 Ayahuasca ceremonies.

I wholeheartedly recommend The Way Inn, especially if you are into hiking/ rock climbing since you are in the mountains. I did some awesome hiking while I was there- it's right by a national park. The whole thing ran me around $100 a day, all costs included. I paid for the flight with an rewards card I'd had for all of 3 months, so that helped.

Overall it was an intense experience, difficult at times, but in the end extremely rewarding. I find it difficult to put the actual experience into words. If I tried, I wouldn't do it justice. So I'll just get straight to the benefits I've noticed since getting back.

The most immediate impact has been in my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I always had problems with over-muscling, getting frustrated, and forgetting techniques during live sparring. I've remained a white belt a lot longer than I should have because of this. But since getting back from Peru, it's been complete change. Even in an intense live roll against a larger, aggressive opponent, I am infinitely calmer now. It's not something I even have to focus on - the calmness is just there. Also, once I learn a technique and drill it, I'm having much less trouble recalling during sparring sessions. I don't want to jinx it but so far it really seems like I'm going to have a different relationship with the sport going forward.

Other benefits- I notice that I'm not craving alcohol like I did pre-retreat. The idea of drinking to "blow off steam", just doesn't appeal to me like it did prior to going to Peru. I was never an alcoholic, but like a lot of Americans I used to feel like I needed to drink to relax and be social on the weekends after working all week. Now - if drinking happens it happens, if not, whatever. Like I said, just not craving for a drink like I used to.

Overall I feel like I'm a lot calmer in all aspects of life, not as concerned with other people think, and just making the best out of whatever situations happen day-to-day. For instance, if I got in a traffic jam pre-Ayahuasca, most of the time I'd be cussing, thinking who the fuck got in an accident and why can't these assholes drive probably some fat cunt texting, etc, etc while I flipped through radio stations. Traffic jam post-Ayahuasca- I'm thinking awesome, bring up soundcloud and fire up Christian McQueen or D & P podcasts, and making the best out of the extra time in the car.

The best way I can describe it is that even though my life was good on paper, there was some repressed source of frustration that I wasn't even aware of but was holding me back in jiu-jitsu and other areas of my life. Whatever that "thing" was, it is gone now and so far it's pretty liberating.

I wouldn't call my experience life changing. I'm still the same person with the same issues. It was more like a mental-spiritual tune-up. My only regret is not going sooner. I can only imagine where I would have been by now in my jiu-jitsu if I hadn't been spazzing all this time.

Post: #14

Ayahuasca is good for pretty much anybody imo, you just need to be careful with the dose - start small if necessary and work your way up.

If you live in the west in a city of over 3 million people say, there are likely to be at least one and possibly even a dozen people from South America and those from within your country facilitating Ayahuasca. Some can be good, some not so good.

I'd recommend just talking to them, and meeting them, seeing which one you resonate with and watchout for people who seem controlling or are in their ego. But yeah, at the end of the day, the medicine is the medicine. Going to South America is fraught with other difficulties, scamsters, getting robbed, sexually abusive shamans (less of a problem if you are a dude, but it could still be a problem!) and just the often quite tough nature of the amazon in general.

You can also brew it yourself, it aint so hard, just like making tea!

http://www.ayahuasca-info.com/recipes/

Post: #15

I must say, reading this post made me decide I want to give it a try. I've done drugs before and I'm mentally stable so it could be a great enlightening experience for me. Everyone here mentions 'Iquitos', but anyone know if I can try this on the amazon side of Equador (in a decent way with high quality stuff? Would be much easier for me logistically speaking.

Post: #16

(03-10-2014 10:29 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  

Quote:Anyone who have let themselves go, are weak mentally, or deep down do not like themselves should not drink ayahuasca.

Interesting. So the ayahuasca experience would not likely help rectify the self-dislike?

It may, but you will have to go through some serious battles first.

A guy I was with went to absolute war with his mind.

I told him after that the sounds he made could have been used for an orc battle in the next lord of the rings movie.

The craziest and most out of control human I have ever witnessed.

He was shellshocked for three days after.

Post: #17

My life is planned for the next 2 years ahead but definitely will give it a try at some point in my life. I have done LSD and shrooms which I find to be extremely helpful. LSD mostly made me feel the importance of perception and how subjective the reality actually is, whereas shrooms made me go through a huge battle with my ego. You would be surprised how many successful people, especially comedians, have done psychedelics.

Other interesting similar psychedelics:
- Peyote
- Ibogaine (I have heard Ayahuasca is a walk in a park compared to this one, both physically(puking) and emotionally)
- DMT

It is easy to overvalue the experience but I think these are great tools for self-exploration.

Cool video from Aubrey Marcus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgFnCNZdHzY

Post: #18

(03-11-2014 10:55 AM)strengthstudent Wrote:  My life is planned for the next 2 years ahead but definitely will give it a try at some point in my life. I have done LSD and shrooms which I find to be extremely helpful. LSD mostly made me feel the importance of perception and how subjective the reality actually is, whereas shrooms made me go through a huge battle with my ego. You would be surprised how many successful people, especially comedians, have done psychedelics.

Other interesting similar psychedelics:
- Peyote
- Ibogaine (I have heard Ayahuasca is a walk in a park compared to this one, both physically(puking) and emotionally)
- DMT

It is easy to overvalue the experience but I think these are great tools for self-exploration.

Cool video from Aubrey Marcus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgFnCNZdHzY

Strenghtstudent, I've done shrooms as well, namelyu Jamaican ones in Amsterdam, the strongest I could find there and went to an extremely bad trip (basically my personal hell) due to very strange occurences (someone I knew died out of nowhere and they called me to inform me about it when I was fully high). How would you compare strenghts of those drugs? Is shrooms nothing compared to Ayahuasca?

Post: #19

(03-11-2014 12:01 PM)rottenapple Wrote:  Strenghtstudent, I've done shrooms as well, namelyu Jamaican ones in Amsterdam, the strongest I could find there and went to an extremely bad trip (basically my personal hell) due to very strange occurences (someone I knew died out of nowhere and they called me to inform me about it when I was fully high). How would you compare strenghts of those drugs? Is shrooms nothing compared to Ayahuasca?

I haven't tried ayahuasca so cannot say from personal experience but as far as I know, ayahuasca is on a whole different level. Ayahuasca is brutal physically(puking, shitting yourself, body feels bad) and due to the active compound in ayahuasca, DMT, it is also way stronger hallucinogenic. They say DMT is the strongest psychedelic out there.

It is not a good idea to talk 'outsiders' during a trip, I am personally too scared to even walk outside my house. But 'bad trips', which are emotionally very hard, can sometimes be the best trips although they are unpleasant. You usually realize it later.

Post: #20

(03-11-2014 09:07 AM)Goldmund Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 10:29 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  

Quote:Anyone who have let themselves go, are weak mentally, or deep down do not like themselves should not drink ayahuasca.

Interesting. So the ayahuasca experience would not likely help rectify the self-dislike?

It may, but you will have to go through some serious battles first.

A guy I was with went to absolute war with his mind.

I told him after that the sounds he made could have been used for an orc battle in the next lord of the rings movie.

The craziest and most out of control human I have ever witnessed.

He was shellshocked for three days after.

I know you didn't know him so well but can you tell us about his character before/after taking it?
What kind of person he was, what kind of vibe he gave off?

thx

Post: #21

Just watched a show that discussed ayahuasca last night on TV. DMT is the chemical in ayahuasca that causes the trips. The show was 'Ancient Aliens', the episode about shamans. They did about 5 minutes on it, but doctors administered DMT to patients in a controlled environment, 60 people I think. Anyway,,they all reported seeing strange beings, and all but a few said they received a 'message' that basically said 'thank you for discovering this, now we can communicate with you easier'. Some trippy shit for sure. That's why I want to take it,,,enlightenment, ive been reading about it since 05

Post: #22

(03-11-2014 01:11 PM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

(03-11-2014 09:07 AM)Goldmund Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 10:29 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  

Quote:Anyone who have let themselves go, are weak mentally, or deep down do not like themselves should not drink ayahuasca.

Interesting. So the ayahuasca experience would not likely help rectify the self-dislike?

It may, but you will have to go through some serious battles first.

A guy I was with went to absolute war with his mind.

I told him after that the sounds he made could have been used for an orc battle in the next lord of the rings movie.

The craziest and most out of control human I have ever witnessed.

He was shellshocked for three days after.

I know you didn't know him so well but can you tell us about his character before/after taking it?
What kind of person he was, what kind of vibe he gave off?

thx

I hung out with the guy in Iquitos the night before and did some gaming with him. Even though he was a tall really good looking Jamaican guy, the dudes game was terrible.

We were chilling with two Canadian tourists who were so obviously down to fuck and he couldn't pull the trigger on his girl. I got laid, actually almost pulled a threesome off, but he went back to his hostel with his tail between his legs. And believe me, he is way better looking than I.

I talked game with him the day after, told him to be more aggressive, and he said that he knew but it was just really hard. A common problem for a lot of early 20s nice guys.

Super nice, really chill, but some very powerful mental blocks that were preventing the ayahuasca from doing its healing.

One of the key things the shaman said before the ceremony is that you need to let yourself "surrender" to the experience.

If your ego is too big, there will be a battle.

Post: #23

I really want to try it. I feel like doing it in Peru at the source would be better than doing it in upstate New York though. A place called Cairo, NY.

My buddies go on trips to retreats in New Jersey and even Ohio but when they get back and I ask them about it they seem to not be affected at all or have any good stories for me.

They've also been making mesculin tea from ordering cactus on eBay. I want to try that as well.

Post: #24

I know Cairo. Very cool place to visit and get away from the city.

Wouldn't recommend having a ceremony that far north though.

A big part of the good experience was the journey into the rainforest, traveling up the Amazon, walking through the jungle where the ayahuasca vine actually grows, and participating in the ritual with natives who have been doing it for generations. It was a mecca of sorts.

My 2 cents.

Post: #25

There's a few ayahuasca retreats here in Costa Rica; I've never tried ayahuasca, but this thread has intrigued me. I've used LSD many, many times and did salvia once, so I've already experienced ego death and can relate to many of the comments in this thread.

Can anybody compare ayahuasca to LSD?